Ubiquitous Radar

Continuous, rapid, precise detection of small, fast-moving targets at low cost

Radar has a particular advantage when it comes to the rapidly growing requirement to detect and track drones, as well as for general ground surveillance and intruder detection.

Unaffected by darkness, heavy rain or poor visibility, radar can distinguish small moving objects from a complex environment and can directly measure and report target range and velocity.

Plextek’s ubiquitous radar takes this one step further – with continuous surveillance in all directions. Unlike traditional radar that scans a scene with a single beam, the ubiquitous radar synthesises a number of fixed beams that point in different directions – giving constant monitoring of the whole scene of interest.

The ubiquitous radar can differentiate between drones and birds – and even determine the size and type of drone. It can be deployed in congested environments, for example, on the side of buildings as part of a distributed sensor system, with each node providing coverage within a radius of up to 1 km.

The low size, weight and power (SWaP) associated with the technology also make it highly applicable for development into airborne applications.

Real-world challenges

UAV Detection and Identification

When a client required a ground-based system capable of delivering rapid detection, location, and identification of drones or other uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) within its vicinity, the ubiquitous radar emerged as a preferred platform solution.

While high-resolution cameras could potentially offer visual identification of such targets within known areas, their utility in scanning wide expanses of sky quickly enough to identify a swiftly approaching threat proved impractical.

In response to this challenge, the Plextek team provided a demonstrator, leveraging an adapted version of an existing low SWaP ubiquitous radar technology, within an ambitious timeframe.

This demonstrator succeeded in delivering accurate target reports through ethernet with minimal delay and high update rates, incorporating real-time Doppler signature analysis to effectively classify threats. This innovative approach also helped in minimising false alarms by distinguishing between actual threats and non-threatening objects such as birds.

Novel solution for space application

The Plextek team had to carry out a detailed systems study when a client wanted to assess the applicability of ubiquitous radar and other approaches to a very demanding space-based application.

The study culminated in a novel solution, including a high-level description of the implementation and expected performance.

Key skills

A visual representation of how the specialist ubiquitous staring radar out-performs an electrically scanning radar
A visual representation of how the specialist ubiquitous staring radar out-performs an electrically scanning radar
  • Radar systems design calculations

    Allowing potential solutions to be assessed against client needs.

  • Tailoring of existing designs

    To minimise development cost, while achieving high performance.

  • Custom design

    To meet exacting customer requirements.

  • Low SWaP-C

    Low size, weight, power and cost.

  • Complete systems

    From antenna through to back-end processing.

  • Component module/sub-circuit design

    For integration into client systems.

Radar systems are very much horses for courses, so an understanding of the fundamentals is vital to selecting a system that will give good performance in a particular role.

Steve Greendale, Principal Consultant
Steve Greendale

Principal Consultant

What sets us apart when it comes to ubiquitous radar?

The Plextek team has an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals underpinning modern radar system design, together with access to existing designs that may be used ‘as is’ or to facilitate client initial proof of concept and/or data gathering of real-world radar data. Our experience includes:

  • UAV and drone detection radar
  • Low-SWaP radar
  • Microwave radar
  • Millimetre-wave radar
  • Custom radar systems

Examples of applications of our radar systems include:

  • UAV detection and tracking
  • Counter UAS radar
  • Ground surveillance
  • Intruder detection
  • Perimeter security
  • Situational awareness
  • Autonomous systems
  • Collision avoidance
  • Robotics
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